Platform truck



March 4, 1924.A 1,485,880

F. PgLMl-:R

PLATFORM TRUCK Filed OCT.. l0. 1922 Patented Mar. 4, 1924.

FRANK PALMER, or NAUGATUCK, CONNECTICUT.

PLATFORM Tauck.

Application filed-october 1o, 1522. serial-Nd'. 593,539.-

To all 'whom t may concern.

Be it known that I, FRANK PALMER, .la citizen of the United States, and a resident'of Naugatuck, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented certain newv and useful lmprovements in Platform Trucks, which improvements are fully set forth in the following specification.

` This invention-relates to improvements in hand-propellent trucks, and more particularly to trucks of that class capable, normally, of being driven in a straight line only betweenrtwo points, the same being common'ly designated as platformv` trucks, and employed quite generally in large industrial plants for heavy load-carrying purposes. v The object of this invention is to provide a truck of the character above indicated which shall be simple and comparatively inexpensive as regards its construction; which shall embody parts and details of construction whereby the same may be rendered dirigible at they will of the user; which shall be convenient in its application to practical purposes; and which shall` possess certain well-defined advantages over prior analogous constructions.

The invention consists incertain novel combinations, details and parts to be hereinafter more specifically referred to and set forth-in the claims hereto appended.- n

The ,invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein: u

Fig. 1 is a view in front elevation ofa platform truck embodying myisaid improvements, the steering-wheel, spindle retracted.

Fig. -2 isa view in side elevation of same, the steering-wheel spindle protracted. f

Fig. 3' isa central, vertical, longitudinal section of the upright hanger made useof, the section beingtaken generally alongthe dotted vlines 3 3 of Fig. l, and the scale being enlarged. I

Fig. 4 is a cross-section'of the hanger aforenamed, as along the dotted line 4 4 of Fig. 2, the scale still enlarged. l

Having reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein similar reference lcharacters denote like parts throughout the several views, I, in carrying out my present-invention, provide a platform 2, supported'by a front pair of .carrying-wheels 5, 5', and a similar pair of rear carrying-wheels, not shown, said carrying-wheels being 'y all'- so disposedin their relation to the platform V2 as to prevent lateral joint deflection of either pair thereof, and wherebythe-*truck proper may be movedv only directly-forwardly or directly rearwardly, as will` be readily unV` derstood,and aslis customary.-

I-further dispose'fixedly at the forward end ofthe platform 2 an upright hanger 6, and wherein,l at the upper" portion thereof, 1s arranged -to .rotate a-Crank-shaft- 7 khaving an eccentric-.block v8 firmly mounted thereon. and fitted at its forward' end with a handcrank- 9,- whereby said crank-shaft may be operated. v ll0 denotesv a steering-wheel spindle, angularin cross-section'by preference, and disposed to reciprocate vertically iny guide-v pieces 11, 11', projecting forwardly from ythe hanger 2, one suitablyr'above the other, said spindle operating,- accordingly', in registry with the e`ccentric-block 8-and thereby to be engaged at its upper-extremity'and depressed or protracted uponthe crank-shaftj? being duly rotated, as will hereinafter more fully appe'ar. r

' '-j- It is essential that the-spindle: l0 `be lheld elastically at al-ltimesy elevated' or-retracted to bring andhold--thesteeringiwheel 12 up# wardly out of Contact with'the' floor-or other surfaceon which the carrying-wheels of the truck bear;` and toy the attainment of thev foregoing' end, I provide a spiral spring 13, the upper end oflwhich'isv attached to the hanger 6; as atV the point 14 and lthe'lower end of which is attached vto the spindle 10, above`the=guidepiece 11 land-:as `at the point 15, the stressiofsa-id spring tending at alltilnesvtoI holdJ retracted the spindle aforenamed, and thelatter beingv fitted at its lower end-with af-terminalclip 16,L bel tween the opposing'.side-members' of which is disposed-"to rotate the steering-wheel l2.

The' disposition ofl the eccentric-blockl 8 and crank!) relatively to the'crankf-shaftis such-that'when the-Crankshaft is swung upwardly to a more'or less vertical position, eccentric-block 8y will/have engaged -the upper-end-of the-spindlelO and depressed'or protracted ysaidr -spindle fagainst' the elastic stress-of the spring-l, and `when-said crank shall have Abeen swung! downwardly-f to a position more or less'vertical, the eccentricblock' aforenamed willhave released said under the spindle for' movement upwardly 1V be readily stress ofy said" spring, allasfwi understood.-

c p. It is desirable-that the` upward swinging movement of thecrank` 9'be limited to a point somewhat over and beyond the dead center of the crank-shaft 7 supporting such crank, and to this end the stop 17 is provided.

It will be understood that the eccentricblock 8 has a peripheral cam face which coacts with the upper extremity of the spindle 10 for depression and releasement of the latter as above defined.

In operation,` due depression of the spindle 10` through the medium of the crank 9 and parts more immediately co-operating therewith, results, as will be quite readily understood, in the lifting or elevation of the front portion of the platform-2 together with the front carrying-wheels 5, 5', whereby rthe latter are caused to clear the surface thereunder with the steering-wheel 12 bearing on such surface and supporting the load otherwise supported by said carrying-wheels, and whereby the truck proper is rendered dirigible and may be readily swung laterally in either direction, together with any load supported by the platform of said truck.

It will be seen that my improved truck is well adapted for the purposes for which it is intended, being simple and inexpensive in its construction and very conveniently applicable to practical purposes.

It will be further seen that the construction of my improved truck may be modified to a considerable extent7 particularly as regards the medium availed of for actuating the spindle 10 for protraction thereof, together with various minor details of the general construction, without materially departing from the spirit and principle 0f my invention as set forth and coming within the scope of claims hereto appended.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

l. A truck ofthe class herein described comprising a platform; carrying-wheels so supporting the platform as to be movable forwardly and rearwardly only; an upright hanger Xedly attached to said platform at its forward end; a spring-controlled spindle working vertically in said hanger and affording a steering-wheel atl its lower end; and means whereby said spindle may, at the will of the user, be protracted downwardly against the stress of its controlling spring to bring said steering-wheel into contact with the surface thereunder, and with pressure sufficient to lift from such surface the front portion of the truck together with its front carrying-wheels.

2. A truck of the class herein described comprising a wheeled platform; a steeringwheel duly supported at the advance end of said platform, vertically adjustable into and out of contact with the surface thereunder and at all times spring-pressed upwardly; and means whereby said steering-wheel may,

porting a steering-wheel at its lower end; a

spiral spring attached at its upper and lower ends, respectively, to said hangerand said spindle and serving at all times to hold the latter retracted; and means whereby said spindle may be duly protracted, at the will of the user, to bring the steering-wheel supported thereby into partial truck-lifting contact with the surface thereunder. u

t. A truck of the class herein described comprising a wheeled platform; an upright hanger iiXedly attached to said platform at the advance end thereof and fitted with forwardlyV projecting guide pieces suitably spaced one above the other; a spindle angular in cross-section, workablevertically in said guide-pieces, normally spring-retracted, and supporting a steering-wheel at its lower terminus; a crank-operable eccentric duly supported by the hanger aforenamed and having an active cam-face engaging the spindle aforenamed at its upper end and whereby, upon said crank being duly manipulated, the same is protracted and released for retraction under the stress of its controlling spring, and further whereby the steering-wheel aforenamed may be brought, at the will of the user, into and out of partial truck-lifting contact with the surface thereunder.

5. An elongated hanger attachable to a truck-platform; a spindle duly supported by said hanger for movement endwise in opposite directions relatively thereto and normally held elastically retracted in one direction; an eccentric also duly supported by said hanger and adapted when directly actuated to cause protraction of said spindle against the stress of its controlling spring, and to release, when reversely actuated,f said spindle for retractive action under the stress of its controlling spring, said spindle fitted with a steering-wheel at the end thereof most distant from said eccentric; and means whereby the eccentric may be duly actuated.

6. An elongated hanger attachable to a truck-platform; a spindle duly supported by said hanger for movement endwise in opposite directions relatively thereto and normally held, by spring tension, elastically retracted in one direction; a shaft journalled in said hanger and having an eccentricblock xedly mounted thereon, said eccentric-block adapted, when directly actuated, to cause protraction of said spindle against the stress of its controlling spring and to release, When reversely actuated, said spindle for retractive action under the stress of its controlling spring, said Spindle fitted With a terminal-clip at the end thereof most distant from said eccentric-block; and a handcrank, the latter fxedly supported by said shat and whereby the same may be actuate 7. A hanger attachable to a truck-platform and supporting for longitudinal -reciprocation a `spring-controlled spindle fitted with a steering-Wheel at one end thereof, said hanger further supporting adjacent the opposite end of'said spindle a rotatable eccentric-block, the latter adapted, When duly actuated, to coact With the spindle in a manner to cause protraction thereof against the Stress of its controlling spring, and to permit retraction thereof automatically under the stress of its controlling spring.

FRANK PALMER. 

